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Name: MACROMOLECULES Date:
I. ELEMENTS AND MACROMOLECULES IN ORGANISMS: Most common elements in living things are carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. These four elements constitute about 95% of your body weight. All
compounds can be classified in two broad categories --- organic and inorganic compounds. Organic compounds
are made primarily of carbon. Carbon has four outer electrons and can form four bonds. Carbon can also bond
to other carbon molecules forming double, triple, or quadruple bonds. Organic compounds also contain
hydrogen. Since hydrogen has only one electron, it can form only single bonds.
Each small organic molecule can be a unit of a large organic molecule called a macromolecule. There are four
classes of macromolecules (polysaccharides or carbohydrates, triglycerides or lipids, polypeptides or proteins,
and nucleic acids such as DNA & RNA). Carbohydrates and lipids are made of only carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen (CHO). Proteins are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON). Nucleic acids such as
DNA and RNA contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus (CHON P).The body also needs trace
amounts of other elements such as calcium, potassium, and sulfur for proper functioning of muscles, nerves, etc.
The four main classes of organic compounds (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids) that are
essential to the proper functioning of all living things are known as polymers or macromolecules. All of
these compounds are built primarily of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen but in different ratios. This gives
each compound different properties.
Questions:
1. What are the 4 main elements that make up 95% of an organism?
2. What are macromolecules?
3. Name the 4 classes of macromolecules:
4. What are the building blocks or subunits of macromolecules called?
5. Name 3 elements (symbols) your body needs trace amounts of for proper functioning
II. CARBOHYDRATES: are used by the body for energy and
structural support in cell walls of plants and exoskeletons of insects
and crustaceans. They are made of smaller subunits called
monosaccharides. Monosaccharides have carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
in a 1:2:1 ratio. Monosaccharides or simple sugars include glucose,
galactose, and fructose. Although their chemical formulas are the
same, they have different structural formulas. These simple sugars
combine to make disaccharides (double sugars like sucrose) and
polysaccharides (long chains like cellulose, chitin, and glycogen).
Task:
Color code
the glucose molecule to the right ------------------>
(carbon-black, hydrogen-yellow, and oxygen-red).
Questions:
6. Name 2 ways our body uses carbohydrates.
7. What are the monomers (subunits) that make up carbohydrates?
8. Monosaccharides are ____________ sugars
9. Name 3 monosaccharides
10. What are disaccharides? Give an example
11. Long chains of sugar are ____________________. Name 3
